America's Revival, Part 2: When knowledge is exalted beyond measure

August 7, 2008
Joshua Herring, RA analyst

It became obvious that something was going wrong shortly after WW II. By the end of the fifties, Americans were beginning to witness a breakdown in their political institutions as meaningful, dependable forces for good.

At that point, most Democrats were convinced that the solution to virtually every societal problem was yet another federally-funded program. Sad to say, Republicans began to develop a similar mindset. Politicians like to believe they can fix anything if they can just spend enough money. This is a fantasy, of course. Nonetheless, the idea became an irresistible plaything for both parties.

This growing trend soon bloated the central government, pushed more pork-laden bills through Congress, and established an atmosphere that fostered out-of-control spending. The resultant federal programs have done little to improve life in America, but they have added considerably to the national debt. They have also bred substandard living conditions for many Americans, by making emotional dependents of mentally competent, able-bodied citizens who've learned to look to government for their support. This has exacerbated old problems, while creating new ones that called for spending even more money, or so it was thought, in a steady march toward the obliteration of an American heritage once so proudly handed down through generations.

Overall, the growth of such programs has not only brought about more squalor and tangible decline in America, it has also given birth to a sense of hopelessness, apathy, and despair, leading to an epidemic of depression among many American citizens. In addition to these predictable outcomes, such conditions always breed contempt for authority and an increase in lawlessness. Today, the situation in America has reached critical mass — and if something isn't done to turn things around soon, this nation is going hit rock bottom . . . hard.

The root of the problems, of course, has been a steady decline in emphasis on biblical morality and ethics, and on the first principles of the American founding. Most of us know this, but we haven't made much progress in turning things around — not in over four decades of increasingly intense political activism. Why? If we answer this question correctly, we will be on our way out of the hole we've dug ourselves into. So, let's discuss the catalyst that ignited a societal explosion that is responsible for the downward spiral that brought us to where we are today.

The gateway to destruction

One of the gravest mistakes we can ever make is to allow good times to lessen our sense of need for divine blessing and favor. By the end of WW II, the world went from the brink of destruction at the hands of the Nazi war machine to a time of unprecedented prosperity — almost overnight — with America leading the way. As a result, my mother's generation began to adopt a carefree, irresponsible, party mentality. The truth began to be set aside in favor of hedonistic pursuits that led to a relaxation of traditional morals, values, and restraints.

Parents began to instruct their children, saying, "Do as I say, not as I do." Now you know that doesn't work. Nevertheless, life was so good that Americans developed a false sense of security. They assumed they could ignore God and get away with it, but a day of bitter reaping was soon to begin. When parents looked up in the sixties to find their children bowing before idols with names like Elvis Presley and the Rolling Stones — gods with seemingly little or no decency and restraint — they wanted to know, "What's wrong with our children?!"

Selfishness and licentiousness inspired by these new influences sparked a revolution in the hearts and minds of Americans. Before long, rather than being people with a sense of unity, honor, duty, and brotherhood, this nation became riddled with strife and division over things most people had always agreed on. People were rebelling against longstanding American traditions and convictions about God and country. Before long, nothing was sacred anymore, and as a result, America began to undergo a massive, degrading, destructive transformation.

How did the Church in America respond?

There was indeed a notable response in the churches of America, but it was the wrong response. Rather than God’s people humbling themselves and sanctifying a fast to seek divine favor, our Pharisees became more rigid and self-righteous, and our Sadducees became more arrogant and sanctimonious.

The account of a scribe returning to Jerusalem from Persia during the fifth century B.C. offers a stellar example of what is needed in America at this time. When Ezra returned, he learned that many of his people, the priests included, had disobeyed one of God's strictest commands and they were no longer serving God faithfully. Knowing this was sure to bring severe judgment if not dealt with, Ezra did something that saved the resurgent move of nationalism through which the Jewish heritage was to be restored.

Ezra was not guilty of the sin in question. Yet knowing that he too was a sinner by nature, Ezra humbly and faithfully led the way to repentance. He fasted and mourned and humbled his heart before God in sincerity, setting an example so powerful that it brought conviction to the hearts of his countrymen. As a result, a move of repentance swept through the Jewish population. It wasn't long until the people were inspired to set things right, despite a painful price to be paid by those who had taken pagan wives. A true move of repentance among God's people — the kind that allows God to truly change hearts and lives — was the way Jerusalem's revival began, and that is how America's revival must begin:

If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land." 2 Chron. 7:14 NKJV (emphasis added)

Immediately after the Twin Towers tragedy of 2001, spiritual leaders all over America were quoting 2 Chron. 7:14 and leading their people in prayer. However, this passage of Scripture calls for more than such a response. It calls for God's people to come before Him in humility, brokenness, and repentance; inviting the Lord to try the reins of their hearts, and to expose the things that displease Him. This leads to changes in the hearts and lives of people that bring them closer to God, thus allowing Him to begin to restore the lost blessing needed to turn things around during troubling times.

Meaningful external change must always be preceded by internal change. I have seldom approached the Lord and invited Him to search my heart without feeling the need to expose things that needed to be dealt with. If it didn't amount to direct disobedience in some way, there were at the very least matters of the heart that were affecting my attitude, judgment, and decisions — things needing to be subjected to divine correction to please God and get me on the right track. Ezra was a leader who understood this to be true, even of the very best of us, and he did not allow pride to prevent him from setting the needed example.

America had such leaders during the perilous times surrounding the birth of this nation. Those leaders understood that God often leads His people into trials to wake them up, so He may deal with them about matters of the heart that allow Him to guide them more closely, as He blesses and fights for them once again. Derek H. Davis, Director of the J. M. Dawson Institute of Church-State Relations at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, wrote: "As colonial relations with the mother country increasingly deteriorated, [Virginia leaders like Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and Richard Henry Lee] were under conviction of the necessity of . . . the appointment of a day of general fasting and prayer." This spread throughout the colonies as other legislative assemblies began to follow suit, but then:

It was the Continental Congress, however, that really unified the prayers of the people. It set 20 July 1775 as a day of humiliation and prayer for the restoration of the just civil and religious privileges of America, which was observed throughout the colonies. Thereafter the Congress appointed a day in spring for fasting, humiliation, and prayer, and a day in autumn for thanksgiving. These were proclaimed by the governors of the states and were observed throughout the country. [1] (emphasis added)

Thomas Jefferson wrote that this action helped lift the spirits of Americans, and caused them to focus more clearly on what was important. However, during the time of which I've been speaking, rather than humbling themselves before God, people in the churches of America — following the example of their leaders — became more outwardly religious and self-righteous, and the result was two-fold. First, they began to alienate non-believing Americans. This always happens when people become more religious without true revival that releases the power of God's love in their hearts. Second, infighting between different segments of the body of Christ increased. Tensions and resentment escalated, and the chasm between brothers and sisters of differing doctrinal persuasions grew wider. Now, what happens when God's people begin to separate and struggle among themselves for supremacy? That's right — they quench the Spirit, and it dries up the anointing in their lives.

The fuel that drives America

Sad to say, we still have the same kind of theological elitism and exclusionary attitudes over doctrinal differences in the churches of America to this day. What I've often referred to as the "fund-evangel-ismatic dilemma" is one of the primary reasons conservatives haven't been making the kind of progress needed in America. Combine that dilemma with the animosities and separatist attitudes existing between many Catholics and Protestants, and the spiritual gridlock becomes complete. This hinders the release of divine favor and strength among God's people, crippling the Church as a spiritual force, and rendering Christians impotent as a political and societal influence for good.

Few have dared to suggest that much of the blame for what has happened in America lies with the Church. Many of us are too spiritually proud and self-righteous to even consider it, and of those who sense that this may be true, few are willing to face the resentment they are sure to encounter for saying so. Nevertheless, the Bible tells us, "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." (Prov. 27:6)

What is needed here is not more righteous indignation among us over the actions of godless people. Rather, we need to become willing to speak the truth in love — dealing with the consequences as they come, whatever they may be. I say these things with great trepidation, in all humility and sincerity, and with all due love and respect for God's people of all Church affiliations. Christ died to save sinners, among whom I am chief. Nevertheless, what I say here is so vitally important it cannot be ignored any longer. We have so little time left to make the needed difference, and while we are in desperate need of men of character and spirituality in the American government, this will not come about without a true revival in the Church as a whole.

While political activism can be a vehicle for needed change, no vehicle functions well without a free-flowing fuel supply. In this case, God's anointing is the fuel that is needed, and the Church in America is the release point for that fuel. If something begins to plug the fuel line in a car, it starts losing power and ceases to go forward smoothly when you press on the accelerator. If there is unlimited fuel available — as there is in this case — and you keep losing power anyway, it means there are impurities hindering the flow of the fuel. If so, pressing harder on the accelerator will not help — i.e., just working harder is not the answer. Things aren't going to operate smoothly and properly again until the system that stores and dispenses the fuel is purged.

I know all too well how hard this is to take, but we've been waging this war against corruption in American government for decades with ever-increasing activism, diligence . . . and futility. Unless we begin to value truth above all things — even if facing the truth hurts — we are going to lose the battle for the soul of this nation. In the process, we're going to witness the cessation or corruption of everything we consider sacred and dear that still remains.

Without the Church in America undergoing true spiritual transformation, political activism will continue to be as futile and frustrating as it has been. We've had so little success over the years in the battle to restore America to its constitutional and moral foundations. This, despite the fact that as conservatives we have greater numbers than our adversaries, and the truth on our side. So what has gone wrong? A lot of things could be mentioned, but the real root of the problem begins —

When "head knowledge" is exalted in the Church

Is God impotent and unable to lead us to victory over godless liberals in this nation? You know better than that. Could it be that He wants America to "go under" to repay us for our folly? Not on your life; there is too much at stake. Therefore, the next logical question is: Could it be that God is waiting for something from us that we haven't been willing to consider? I believe so. As hard as it is to accept this, we all need to take a lesson from Ezra. This is not a time for self-righteousness, finger pointing, or impenitence from any of us.

The solution we've been so desperately seeking is to be found in a verse of Scripture that says: "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. And if anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him." (1 Cor. 8:1–2) I submit to you that a proper understanding of this principle will unlock the door to a solution that has been eluding us as we've fought to prevent what we see happening to America.

A greater emphasis began to be placed on higher education in the Church than ever before during the late sixties. Now please don't misunderstand me; I strongly advocate the pursuit of higher education. Nevertheless, when head knowledge begins to be equated with spirituality, it is a very dangerous thing. The two are not the same thing at all, and "pride goes before a fall." (Pr. 16:18) During the past few decades, due to increasing self-confidence — spawned by massive church growth combined with greater academic status and achievement in the clergy — the distinction between head knowledge and spirituality has become blurred in the body of Christ in America.

Knowledge has been exalted beyond appropriate measure, and the proof of this is on every side of us. Mega-churches have been built all across the nation, and Church leadership has received more formal education in preparation for ministry than ever before. Yet the Church in America keeps losing ground spiritually — the progressive decline in the character and morality of this nation over the past four decades is sure proof of this. Amidst the growing crisis, Church leadership has made a monumental error in judgment that has cost us dearly. They have allowed things learned in universities where secular humanism reigns supreme to influence their interpretation of Scripture, and it has also subtly affected their worldview. Furthermore, Church hierarchy has concluded that since leadership is more educated, since church rosters are overflowing, and since the Church as an institution is more organized than ever before, the Church is stronger than it ever has been. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

If you disagree, please consider this question: Would the majority of people in American churches today thrive under the kind of persecution Christians endured for three centuries after the resurrection of our Lord? What about the persecution endured leading up to the Protestant Reformation? Or even under conditions similar to what we see in Islamic nations today? Do you think many of us would survive such trial and testing as a way of life with our faith and our love for God intact? Amidst decades of a "peace and prosperity, self-declarative, personal power, feel-good-gospel message" being preached in this nation as a whole, America has been sinking into extreme decadence and depravity.

We have our approved doctrines, church practices, and doctoral degrees, both theological and secular, which is fine. We have professional musicians and singers, and television cameras, as well as production crews and sound systems to rival anything in the secular market. We have innumerable activities and programs to get people involved and to meet their needs. We have pastors and people working under them that have papered entire walls in their offices with degrees and certificates of learning — and there is nothing wrong with that, in and of itself. We also have counseling programs headed by men sporting Ph.D.'s in psychology with long strings of backup degrees in the social sciences. This is all important . . . to the point to which it is important.

Nevertheless, this is the bottom line. Despite — and often because of — all this, we aren't as mindful as we once were of the importance of something our Savior told His disciples and we've been paying a terrible price because of it. Jesus said that without Him working in us and through us, "you can do nothing." (Jn. 15:5) Our Lord wasn't just using hyperbole there to make an impression; Jesus meant exactly what He said. Any time this fundamental truth ceases to be central in our thinking, and central in our approach to life and ministry, it saps our spiritual strength and weakens the Church. During good times, some can seem to get by on personal knowledge and ability for awhile, but such behavior only leads to a false sense of security that will inevitably cave in under enemy attack.

When times are not so good

As the Apostle Paul noted in Eph. 6:10-17, the war we are engaged in is not waged against flesh and blood. The adversary confronting us is spiritual, and that enemy is both as real and as powerful as he is invisible. This enemy operates under the cover of darkness and spiritual blindness, so that undiscerning people remain largely unaware of his presence and activity, and only through the anointing of God may we overcome the enemy. Without that, our best efforts are about as useful and effective as a man trying to kill an elephant with a flyswatter.

According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. Isa. 59:18–19 KJV (emphasis added)

"Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts." (Zech. 4:6) When the enemy is aggressively seeking to bring God's people down and take everything away from them, only God can "lift up a standard" that is sufficient to turn back the forces of evil. When coming under this kind of attack, as we certainly have been in the battle for the soul of this nation, we can pray, but prayer alone will not cause us to prevail. If, as a body of believers, we aren't walking in the place of sacrifice, submission, and divine fellowship God needs us to be in, we will not see the enemy repelled and victory wrought until we press in fervently and humble ourselves — seeking God's will above all things in our lives at any cost.

It is so easy during good times to allow ourselves to become complacent and desensitized, so easy to allow the focus of our faith to be drawn away from dependence on God to ourselves. It is so easy to start fighting our own battles without realizing it, assuming that as long as what we do is "scriptural," this is all that matters. That is why we haven't been managing to take back what godless forces have stolen from the Church in America. The will of God in every case is more than just "scriptural," it is precise — precise in sense of purpose, in sense of timing, and in the chosen method of execution for every last thing God plans to do with us.

God is not impotent against the enemy confronting us, and our failure to overcome is not without an identifiable cause or solution. But it can be painful to humble ourselves enough to consider the possibility that we may be missing God in important places and ways as the result of a failure to "follow after" carefully enough. (Phil. 3:12–14) It can also be difficult to make changes that coming before God with a heart that is truly open to correction can require. It is so much easier to point the finger of blame at godless liberals and others in the Church that we disapprove of while ignoring the possibility of our own need of correction. You may rest assured that I am not telling you anything that I haven't received noteworthy divine chastening for myself.

The Christian Church in America has gone from a position of great status and respect to becoming increasingly downtrodden by the forces of evil in just a few decades. How many examples are there in the Bible of something like this happening to Israel when God's people were walking carefully with Him? This kind of thing only happens when the hearts of God's people begin to drift, negatively affecting their walk with Him, and God is trying to wake them up to avoid a crisis of major proportions. In spite of all of our religious works and political activism, there isn't enough grace being released into and out through the Church in America to prevent what has almost amounted to a complete enemy takeover.

What is desperately needed from the Church in America

And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD. Eze. 22:30–31 KJV (emphasis added)

We Christians in America have lost nearly all of our religious liberties, and the right to free exercise of our religion, despite the fact that those things are explicitly protected by the U.S. Constitution in clear and unambiguous language. What little we have left, we are hanging on to by a thread — but nothing in the Constitution has changed to explain such a dramatic turnaround; liberals have been gaining control of America for a different reason. The Lord has been seeking to awaken His people. This chastening is meant to humble us, so we'll quit trying to fight the battle in what we consider to be our own righteousness and strength, and come before God humbly in readiness to be carefully led to do whatever He requires of us. Only then will God bless America again.

Men of God who were chosen to stand in the gap for the nation of Israel in the Old Testament lived lives of great sacrifice, devotion, and separation unto God's purposes. The Church in America is being called to stand in the gap for this nation before it is too late. Truly sacrificial devotion to God and to His purposes is what the Lord needs from His people in the churches of America today. This is the only thing that will stay the hand of judgment that has been gradually falling. Through sufficient sacrifice and obedience we can bring favor upon this nation once again. We have been trying to fight the battle in the strength of what we think should be done for decades, and what has it gotten us?

I've learned the hard way that it is possible — at the same time we are careful not to break God's commandments — to be guilty of failing to allow God to lead us carefully enough. We cannot rely on scriptural knowledge without carefully seeking divine guidance for each step we take if we are to prevail. What we think about things is irrelevant; there is no room left for assumption about anything. There is an overarching principle that must be heeded. Solomon said, "Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain." Ps. 127:1

Winning the battle set before us is going to require greater commitment from all of us than ever before, but we can do this. We must be willing to humble ourselves enough to earnestly seek and accept divine guidance, even if it means allowing the Lord to lead us to repentance over matters of the heart, and over things we've been doing that were more our own idea than His. We've been "bought with a price" — we are not our own. (1 Cor. 6:20) That's the main solution to the problem we are facing. Now let's touch on another imperative that cannot be ignored, if we are to see the victory we seek come to fruition.

The Spirit of God must bring unity among us, or our efforts will be in vain

"For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise." 2 Cor. 10:12 KJV (emphasis added)

The divisive spirit that has taken such a grip on American churches is the other thing plugging the fuel line, blocking the flow of God's anointing. The passage above was written at a time when there was increasing strife, and factions were beginning to form in the early Church. Among other things, the Apostle Paul was noting that in places where this was happening, Christians — rather than keeping their eyes firmly fixed on Christ — tended to measure spirituality by comparisons among themselves.

Often concentrating on doctrinal differences, rather than promoting a sense of unity and love among the brethren, they began to draw lines of distinction and division they never should have. It was the work of the enemy, and that kind of spirit has the Church in America split into so many exclusionary factions, denominations, and organizations, we cannot operate efficiently as a whole spiritually or politically. I'm going to close with a scripture and a true story in summary of all that I've said.

When sheep start shearing the sheep

Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees; And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Heb. 12:12–15 KJV (emphasis added)

There was a man who raised sheep, whose sheep were getting sick and dying at an alarming rate, so he asked a veterinarian to come and examine them. The vet spent some time with the animals, and when the owner asked what was wrong with his sheep, he said, "Nothing." Of course, the owner's response was, "Then why are they dying?" The vet said, "There is basically nothing wrong with the sheep, but they're gnawing the wool off of each other's backs and it's making them sick. The sheep are dying from weakness caused by infections from biting each other, and exposure to the elements in a weakened condition. They just won't leave each other alone."

When God's people fight over doctrinal differences, separate over such things, and keep picking at one another, it inflicts wounds that become infected with an emotional toxin called bitterness, and this swings the door wide open for enemy activity among us. It leads to self-protective traits such as spiritual pride, arrogance, self-righteousness, judgmental attitudes, harshness, aggressiveness, and sarcasm — and all this leads to increasing hardness of heart. Resentment and division in the body of Christ not only takes lives, spiritually speaking, but it saps our spiritual strength, leaving us weak, impotent, and ineffective.

Only when we become willing to respond to each other with the kind of love that covers and bridges the gaps can God use us as a release point for the anointing. And God's anointing is the only thing that can carry us through to victory in efforts to turn America around, as we seek to overcome godless adversaries and the spiritual forces propelling them into action. We need the kind of anointing released only when there is "unity in the Spirit in the bond of peace. " (Eph. 4:3) This can make us a sharp threshing instrument in the hands of God. Only thereby may we become the influence needed to strengthen the body of Christ and preserve this nation. If we want political leaders of true spiritual character to rise up among us, this must begin on a personal level in the Church. My beloved brothers and sisters, please consider all that has been said here prayerfully and objectively — and please let God bless America again.

"Delight yourself also in the LORD; And He shall give you the desires of your heart." Ps. 37:4 NKJV

A closing thought:

The Hebrew word for "delight" in the verse of Scripture above means: to be pliable in the hands of God.

NOTES:


© Joshua Herring